By Kyle Ross
2021 has seen a lot in terms of social discord, especially in the United States. Having been called the “Melting Pot” since the early 20th century, in the past few years there has been a big debate whether or not that sentiment is still true. Many in America can agree that hate crime is an issue that effects everyone, regardless of race. Recent leadership and decisions made by the government have exacerbated this issue, resulting in increased tensions between groups within the United States. However, there are some groups that are targeted more frequently and more harshly than others are. The question that many people ask, who is the most vulnerable and affected group of hate crime? The answer to this question lies within the numbers, statistics that have been reported all across the country to the NIBRS.
The National Incident-Based Reporting System is a database that gathers data from multiple police departments in America on all types of reported crime. The agency was founded in 1908, more than a 100-years ago, with a budget of over 8-million dollars, annually. All law enforcement agencies across the United states report their crime data to this database, to keep crime levels transparent for the public. Data is collected and categorized based on offense level. The FBI has compiled statistics from the database to show the public all groups affected by hate crimes. According to the FBI, from 2018-2020, there have been 8,263 hate crimes in total against specific groups identified by the FBI as, “motivated, in whole or in part, by the offender’s bias(es) against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, or gender identity.”. If we break down the numbers by group, 9,181 crimes are based on an individuals race or ethnicity. A whopping 4,843 crimes were targeted against Black or African American, followed by 1,646 crimes committed against people of Jewish identity. The third most vulnerable group to hate crimes is people of white descent or European ancestry. From this data collected, we can see that regardless of race or creed, there will always be a criminal offender looking to attack one group or another. But it appears that the most vulnerable group to hate crimes is people of Black or African American descent. This information correlates with what many Americans have been seeing on the news or social media.
Another question many readers may be asking is, where do most of these hate crimes occur? Typically, people look to cities when they think of places where crimes occur the most, or even rural areas. A constant through history has always been that cities are less safe than suburbs or other parts of America. Typically, people have seen these as easy places to commit crimes, for example, the world population review has gathered statistics that rank the 19 cities in America with the highest violent crime rates. Taking a look at the map that they provided, we can see that many of these cities are in the middle of the country, with some coastal cities.
Looking at statistics gathered by the Department of Justice, location types for hate crimes primarily occur on or near private residences or homes, with this number reaching 24.6%. following this, 18.2% of hate crimes occur on streets, highways, and sidewalks. The private residence statistic adds to the fact that these are premeditated hate crimes because they are specifically targeted at these vulnerable groups. Offenders are going after these groups in their homes and outside of where they live, on the streets and sidewalks.
Locations where hate crimes are most likely to occur
In looking at the statistics of hate crimes, the numbers tell us that the most affected group of these acts, are Black and African Americans. In the past two years, movements have gained more traction from these numbers, noticing that this type of hate is unacceptable in any society. In America, it is especially abhorrent as this nation was founded on principles that welcome any and all to this bastion of democracy. Immigrants from other countries have helped pave the way for America to get where it is today, and these immigrants come from many groups that are being attacked by hate crimes today. Poor leadership and lack of communication throughout the country have cultivated an environment of hate in the past few years. However, this is not irreparable. If the people of the United States continue to work towards peace and change within the republic, we could see an end to hate crimes.
Data Journalism 395 